Summary
- Xbox CEO Phil Spencer named Elden Ring as his favorite game of the generation.
- Spencer has publicly praised Elden Ring before and has shown his love for the game.
- In addition, he also revealed that Ninja Gaiden was his favorite franchise by Japanese devs at the moment.
Xbox veteran and Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer, recently picked Elden Ring as his favorite title to come out during the latest console generation. Besides current-gen consoles, the Xbox boss’s game of choice, which was released by FromSoftware in 2022, is also available on previous-gen platforms.
Since taking the reins of Microsoft’s video game brand in early 2014, Phil Spencer has increasingly been turning into a name synonymous with the Xbox brand. From the huge growth of Xbox Game Pass to major studio acquisitions, such as the Activision-Blizzard takeover, the American exec has been there throughout some of the company’s biggest moments. Speaking of ‘biggest moments,’ one of the most notable releases in the game industry in recent years has been the award-winning RPG Elden Ring, which experienced monumental success at the time of launch and, then again, when the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC was released. While professing his love for the highly decorated title, the Xbox head recently bestowed a distinguished recognition upon the Soulslike game.
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24 Video Game Worlds Bigger Than Elden Ring
While Elden Ring has an impressive open world for players, there are other games that have a bigger map for players to explore.
In an interview with XboxEra, Spencer named Elden Ring as his “best” game of the ongoing generation. Highlighting his interest in “new worlds” and new IPs, he shared that the Hidetaka Miyazaki-directed game took “so much” of his time “in a good way.” Before choosing FromSoftware’s magnum opus, he mentioned his decision to “leave out” naming any first-party Xbox game, possibly to avoid any unintentional self-promotion. Moreover, the Microsoft Gaming chief fondly recalled his Astrologer class character in Elden Ring “throwing rocks at people” and called the experience “so much fun.” In the segment that followed, he also revealed that Ninja Gaiden was his favorite franchise by Japanese devs at the moment.
Phil Spencer’s Fondness of Elden Ring is No Secret
It’s worth noting that Phil Spencer’s preference for Elden Ring may not come as a surprise to many, as he has publicly praised the game before. Back in 2020, he revealed playing a pre-release version of the fantasy title and called it “the most ambitious game” by Miyazaki. A couple of months after the game’s launch, certain eagle-eyed fans also spotted an Elden Ring memorabilia on the Xbox lead’s shelf, something that could also be noticed in the background of his video frame during the latest chat with XboxEra.
Meanwhile, Spencer would be preparing for the launch of another major action game, but this time from an Xbox-owned studio called id Software. On May 15, 2025, Doom: The Dark Ages is scheduled to hit the stores for players on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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